Life As We Know It
by Scathach24
Summary: Things happen, things out of our control. Now Madara has to move forward. (Fem!Madara, Fem!Izuna) (T for language) (Multi-chapter) (modern AU)
1. Chapter 1

Izuna was absently reading a book. She had finished the science assignment early and was now killing time. She smirked inwardly with satisfaction that Tobirama was still working.

"Izuna Uchiha, Tobirama Senju. Please report to the front office immediately." The teacher called after he set down the phone.

As Izuna tucked the book into her backpack and stood, other ninth graders began to whisper. Several girls giggled.

Izuna tunned them out. She didn't have time for their cattiness. She knew they didn't like her, they knew the feeling was mutual.

Still Izuna couldn't help but feel a tiny sliver of dread. If she was in trouble, Madara would either: flip out, ground her, or just glare at her in disappointment. She was already on her shit list anyway...

Izuna loved her sister, she really did. But sometimes Madara seemed to forget that she was still pretty much a kid herself.

And this morning she told her so.

It turned into an argument and Izuna and Madara had both delivered hits below the belt. Izuna made some choice comments about her boyfriend, Hashirama. Madara had brought up Izuna's lack of friends. It had sort of ended when Madara said Izuna was a pathetic whiny child, and Izuna had told Madara that she hated her.

Madara hadn't even said goodbye after that. She just grabbed her messenger bag and proceeded to storm out of the house. Izuna hadn't received the usual 'did you get to school okay?' text either.

Tobirama sauntered along. Izuna kept thinking about how she hated him, and how she'd just love to drop kick him into a wall.

"Tobi!" A kid ran up to him and Izuna recognized him as his younger brother Itama. He looked up at him "Do you know why they called us in? I kept asking but they said they had to wait for you guys"

"Not sure" Tobirama responded with a shrug.

Izuna sat on the bench in the lobby as far from Tobirama and his weird little brother as possible. She absently went to re-do her ponytail but the rubber band snapped.

Izuna looked at the piece of elastic in her hand and got a sense of forboding. The hair tie was one of a package Madara had given her. Red with black accents. Madara had joked that Izuna had her hair, and therefore would need help keeping it in line.

"You've got nice hair." Itama commented.

"Thanks" Izuna said simply.

Izuna looked over at him. He seemed to be the same age as her brother would have been, had he lived. Around fourth or fifth grade.

That's what had ruined their family.

Izuna had been five and Madara was nine. They had been so excited about the idea of a new sibling, Madara had helped paint the nursery, and Izuna had proudly exclaimed to anyone who would listen that she was going to be the best sister ever.

But the baby had been born sleeping. Thats all her father ever said on the subject. It wasn't until much later she found out the baby had been born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.

Izuna was too young to be in the room, but Madara wasn't. She'd come out pale faced, shaking, repeating a mantra of 'I'm never having children. I'm never having children. I'm never having children...'. Izuna could hear her mother screaming to hold the baby, and hadn't known what was happening.

A month and a half later their mother had killed herself. The stress of losing a child had been to much. Their father became colder, started working more. Madara stepped up and had began taking care of Izuna in place of their dead mother and absent father. So in all honestly by the time Tajima Uchiha had the heart attack, not much had changed. After all, Madara was just at the legal age to be on her own and she, of coarse made sure Izuna could live with her.

"-earth to Uchiha. Izuna, are you in there?" Tobirama said nudging her. She slapped his hand and glared at him. "Principal Otsutsuki's ready to see us. You were being oblivious"

Izuna growled and gathered her backpack, brushing past Tobirama and into the Principals office.

The elderly man sighed when they arrived. "Please sit down."

The three kids did as instructed and took their seats.

"I understand that this might be a lot to process so please bear with me." Otsutsuki said rubbing his temples. "I'm afraid that your older siblings have been involved in an accident. They've been hospitalized."

Izuna sucked in a ragged breath. Itama whimpered. Tobirama's hands gripped the bottom of his chair. Through gritted teeth he mumbled. "where's Hashirama now...?"

"He and Miss Uchiha are both at Konoha General Hospital. I've arranged to have you both driven there shortly"

"Thank you, sir" Tobirama said quietly.

"Madara, is she okay? What happened?" Izuna asked, near frantically.

The last thing she said to Madara is that she hated her. She couldn't stand the thought that her big sister could die, and the last thing Izuna had told her is that she hated her. She hadn't meant it!

"From what I understand they were cutting class. The two of them were on the highway when another driver had a seizure and crashed into them." Hagoromo said. He took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Madara was in the passenger seat, and it would seem that she suffered the worst of it. Hashirama only has a fractured arm and a concussion. But Madara..."

"What" Izuna choked out. "What happened to my sister?!"

"She's dealing with fractured ribs, a minor puncture in her left lung, and a minor break in her spine." He let out a sigh. "I was told that they have her in stable condition, but recovery is going to be long and arduous."

Izuna put her head in her hands, feeling almost physically ill. She felt like crying in relief that Madara was alive, at least. But her poor sister...


	2. Chapter 2

Izuna could hear Hashirama yelling at a nurse when they arrived in the ICU.

"I want to see her!" He screamed. "I need to make sure she's okay!"

"Sir, you really need to be resting!" the nurse yelled back.

When they turned the corner Hashirama was trying to push past a nurse. He had bandages wrapped around his head, there was a bandage on his cheek, and one of his arms was in a green cast, but he was putting up a fight.

"I'm not resting until I see my girlfriend!" He yelled.

The nurse narrowed his eyes "Mr. Senju, if you do not lie down this instant I will have you sedated. Do you understand me?"

He grumbled something that was probably less then flattering about the nurse. He was intending to walk away before Itama cried "Hashirama!" and ran up to him.

Itama circled his arms around the elder Senju's middle. Hashirama oofed in surprise, before he smiled slightly and ran a hand over Itama's head. "Hey, munchkin. Good to see you, too. Oi, Tobi, get over here!"

Tobirama walked over and Hashirama wrapped an arm around his shoulders, before squeezing the both of them and setting his head on top of theirs.

Izuna jogged up to the nurse that Hashirama had been arguing with. "I need to see my sister. Madara Uchiha? Please?"

The nurse looked at her had something akin to pity in his eyes. He gestured to a bench. "Have a seat, miss. I'll see what I can do"

Izuna found a seat on a bench for the second time in as many hours. She drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face into the fabric of her jeans.

She probably would have sat like that longer until a hand fell on her shoulder. Izuna saw Hashirama. "Just breathe okay?"

Izuna had never hated Hashirama. She figured she should have, considering that's who her sister gave all her time too, but she didn't. She tried. But she found it futile. He was just always so cheerful and made a point to bring Izuna a bag of candy or something every time he picked Madara up. Besides, Izuna knew that he really did love her sister. So instead of hitting him or screaming, she nodded slightly.

"Miss Uchiha's awake but we can only allow one visitor at a time." The nurse said as he was walking up. The statement was directed at both Hashirama and Izuna.

"Go on, Izuna." Hashi said with a small smile. "I'll be waiting my turn"

Izuna smiled gratefully at him before following the nurse into her sisters room. He looked at Izuna before opening the door. "There was a small puncture in one of her lungs. We patched it up and got the lung re-inflated, but she isn't going to be talking much."

Izuna nodded solemnly and the nurse opened the door.

Her heart caught in her throat and she let out a small choked whimper.

Madara was almost as white as the sheets. Her body was covered in bandages and she was wearing an oxygen mask. There were multiple tubes hooked into her body, and a heart monitor was beeping steadily. But the worst part was the fact her face was swollen and bruised and her hair had been cut short, to about her shoulders.

Her sister was always a great beauty. With her long thick hair, porcelain skin, and pleasing features. Now she was almost unrecognizable...

"I...Izun...a" Madara managed to get out. Izuna could just barely make out a small smile through the oxygen mask. She walked foreward as if in a trance.

Slowly Izuna dragged a chair next to the bed and took a seat. She wrapped her hand around Madara's.

"d...don't...cr..cry...ho...hon..ey" Madara murmured.

Izuna couldn't help it. The tears started and they didn't stop. She held onto Madara's hand and sobbed.

Madara's eyes softened and she held onto Izuna.

"I don't hate you" Izuna said suddenly. "Your right. I'm just a whiny child, and I'm sorry. Your the best sister ever and I don't even deserve-"

Madara pinched the back of her hand and Izuna faltered slightly in surprise. It was part of a code they had when they were little. When they needed to be seen and not heard. If Madara needed Izuna to shut up, she'd pinch the skin on the back of her hand.

Madara traced the shape of a heart on the back of her sisters hand. Another code, that meant 'I love you'.

Izuna sat there for hours, holding Madara's hand smoothing her too-short hair. Eventually she convinced a different nurse to let Hashirama in.

He came with a bunch of red roses from the hospital gift shop and a plush cat. He actually cried when he saw her and dropped both items before running to Madara and apologizing over and over.

Madara rolled her inky eyes and grabbed Hashirama by his hair, pulling him down to her level. "sh..ut...up...idiot...'Zu...na...'s...four...teen...a...and...she's...calm...er...than... you..."

"You'll forgive me for being worried about my girlfriend." Hashirama murmured bending over to kiss Madara's forehead. Her sister smiled slightly up at him.

Madara once said Hashirama was like her better half. Where Madara was cold and dark, Hashirama was warm with a personality like sunshine in a bottle. Madara said this all in a light dreamy little voice, and when Izuna chuckled, Madara threatened to set her best doc martins on fire.

Izuna excused herself, so she could talk to a nurse. She asked if they would let her stay the night.

"It's not protocol, sweety." The nurse said with a sympathetic voice that made Izuna want to tear her throat out. "Miss Uchiha's still in intensive care, and we can't allow you to be in the room outside visiting hours. Should something happen and we needed to take immediate action, another person in the room would act as a hinderance, possibly a deadly one."

"Oh" Izuna muttered.

Hashirama stepped out of Madara's room. He walked over to Izuna and set his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, kiddo. Mad's and I were talking and if you want you can stay over at our place? It's not that far from here and I'll be over here at least twice a day"

"Really?" Izuna asked.

"Of coarse." Hashirama said ruffling her hair. "The guest room's yours if you want it."

Izuna blinked over at him. She would have hated to be alone in her house, and Hashirama was being really nice just to offer it. "Thank you"

"When visiting hours are over I'll get a cab. We'll head to your place fist so you can pick up some things. Maybe some stuff for Madara?"

"Thank you so much" Izuna muttered.

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I couldn't do this for Madara's little sister?" Hashirama asked. "C'mon lets go keep her company"

The two of them disapeared back into Madara's room.


	3. Chapter 3

Madara opened her eyes. She was groggy and that bothered her. Though not as much as the pain in her chest that made it hard to breathe.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_'Oh right'_ she thought. Her mind drifted to the wreck and the previous visit with Hashirama and Izuna. Her head turned just enough for her to see the small stuffed cat and the bouquet of roses. _'the hospital. I'm in the hospital.'_

Madara hated hospitals with a passion. Ever since the baby died. She hated her parents after that. Madara was convinced that they should have known better then to let a nine year old in the room only for the baby to-

"Oh, good morning, Miss Uchiha." A doctor said entering the room. "I'm just going to perform a few tests, alright?"

Madara nodded slightly. The doctor pulled the blankets back so Madara's feet were visible.

"Okay, wiggle the toes on this foot." she said tapping the left foot. Madara complied. The nurse frowned. "The other one?"

The doctor looked even more troubled. The next five minutes she poked Madara with a small pointy piece of metal all along both legs. She was told to tap a finger once for yes and twice for no if she could feel it.

Damn right she felt it.

By the time the doctor was done, Madara was irritable.

"It would seem that your suffering from incomplete paraplegia." The doctor said finally. "In other words, your physical movement below the waist is extremely limited, but the sensation is still there."

"Fu...ck.." Madara whispered wholeheartedly.

.:.:.:.

It had been almost a month since then and Madara was getting ready to be discharged. The puncture in her lung had healed up and she was talking again. Izuna had brought her her laptop and a bunch of clothes, and Hashirama loaned her one of his bonsai trees, so the hospital room wasn't as bad. But she wanted to be home. With Izuna and Hashirama.

"Madara!" She turned to see Hashirama walk into the room. He kissed her cheek and climbed onto the bed next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Ready to leave?"

"Definitely" Madara said with a yawn. She scooted toward Hashi and put her head back on his arm.

Hashirama petted her hair, which was getting longer, and Madara purred in contentment. Hashi chuckled and kissed her head. "I swear your just like a cat sometimes"

Madara hissed, half to express her feelings and half as a joke. "How's Izu? Is she not coming today?"

"She actually went on a date."

"She did what now?" Madara asked sitting at attention. "Who are they? Have you met them, what are they like?"

"His name is Yuki Izumi, he's in her grade, on the track team, seems like a nice kid, but I have threatened to eviscerate him should he hurt Izuna at all." Hashirama said with a shrug.

Madara turned her head enough to kiss his cheek. "Knew there was a reason I kept you" she laughed. "What was his face like?"

"He got really pale and started stammering about being a gentleman." Hashirama chortled. "I thought Izuna was going to kill me!"

"Oh your definitely on her list" Madara informed cheerily.

Hashirama sweat dropped.


End file.
